Signaling system



June 23, 1936. Q M E zmspm SIGNALING SYSTEM Filed Jan. 17, 1935 //v VEN TOR O. MYERS ATTORNEY Patented June 23, 1936 V r i l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SIGNALING SYSTEM Oscar Myers, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to Bell Telephone Laboratories, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application January 17, 1935, Serial No. 2,309

Claims. (01. 17916) This invention relates to a signaling system a relay which will be assumed to operate only and more particularly to the operation and lockmomentarily. ing of a relay in response to an impulse of short The circuit functions in the following manner:

duration. In signaling systems where a circuit When the external control circuit is closed, c'u'r- 5 closing means controls the operating circuit of rent flows through the first winding of the relay '5 a relay, the relay then looking itself operated, but due to the inclusion of the resistance theredifficulty may be experienced in designing the in, the relay does not operate but the positive relay so that it will operate quickly enough to potential on the anode of the tube is decreased. close its locking circuit if the closure of its op- An inductive. sur of potential s e erated in 1"0' crating circuit is for a very short interval. This the second winding of the relay which, because is particularly true if the circuit closing means of the relationship of the two windings, will be is controlled by another relay which is operated in such a direction as to increase the negative only momentarily. It is therefore the object of bias on the control electrode. Under these conthe present invention to provide an operating ditions the tube cannot ionize- When the con 1'5 circuit for a relay wherein the relay will opertrol circuit is subsequently opened, which it is 5 ate and remain operated regardless of the length assumed occurs after a very short interval, the of time that the operating circuit is closed. positive potential on the anode is increased and In accordance with the invention, this is acan inductive surge of potential is generated in complished by the employment of a'gaseous conthe second winding of therelay which is now duc'tor tube in conjunction with the relay and of a polarity to oppose the normal negative bias 20 the circuit closing means. The tube employed on the control electrode and thus reduce it to a is filled with 'a low pressure gaseous content potential substantially equal to the breakdown which may, for purposes of illustration, be neon, potential of .the tube. The tube will therefore helium, argon, mercury vapor or combinations ionize, operating the relay over its cathode-anode of gases of this group. The tube has a certain circuit. The relay will remain operated or locked 25 characteristic that the gaseous content will beuntil the tube is deionized by some means such as, come ionized and thus conductive on one potenfor example, the. removal of potential from the tial determined by the electrode design, the naanode of the tube. ture of the gaseous content and its pressure, but This invention may be used in a variety of 80 once conducting will maintain its condition of arrangements in a signaling or a switching sysconductivity on a much lower pbtential. As tem. It is to be understood that the invention disclosed, the tube is of the hot cathode type is not limited to the circuit arrangement shown having a filament heated by direct or alternating 0n t d w g a t a ount of equipment current and a cathode heated conductively from used may be increased or decreased to perform v the filament. Obviously, a hot cathode type of the desired circuit functions. 35

tube in which the filament heated by di t The inventionmay be more fully understood rent serves as the cathode or a cold cathode type {from the followlng detailed descrl-ptlon 0f the of tube might b employed accompanying drawing which shows one specific The relay to be operated is provided with two embodiment o my invention This aw inductively Connected windings, the fi t f shows in diagrammatic form an arrangement of 40 which is connected in series with a source of a gas-filled tube I d a relay H wh ch it is potentim in the cathode anode circuit of the desired to operate in response toanother relay tube, anode potential being supplied to the tube Ii) which closes its lower front contact only motherethrough. The second winding of the relay mentarllyl is connected in a circuit extending from the nega- Relay l I 15 ovlded wliih wowlndmgs so contive terminal of the source "of potential to the fiffgg isfi ifii g fgz gz g g ggf f fig control electrode or grid'of the tube. The po tential thus supplied to the control electrode opposlte dlrectlon m thelower wmdmg' The V v V v v per winding of relay H is connected in a circuit m g t 5 5 the electrode above, the break extending from the positive pole of battery [6 50 down potential of the tube. An external conv through the back contact of relay l2 and the trol circuit for the relay includes the source of vupper winding of relay H to anode 5 f u I P t the first Winding 0f the relay, thereby supplying positive potential to anode 5. sistance and a C c t C o g means, As illus- The lower winding of relay II is connected in 5'5 trated, the circuit closing means is a contact of a, circuit extending from the negative pole of battery I6 through the lower winding of relay I I to the control electrode 4 of tube I, thereby placing a negative potential on the control electrode 4. The potential thus supplied to the control elec trode 4 negatively biases control electrode 4 above the breakdown potential of the tube. The filament 2 and cathode 3 of tube I are heated by current from battery I which is controlled by rheostat 6. A negative potential is placed on the cathode 3 of tube I from the negative pole of battery I6 through potentiometer 8 to cathode 3. The resistance of potentiometer 8 maintains the proper bias on cathode 3 of tube I and limits the current through the cathode-anode circuit of tube I.

An external control circuit for operating relay I I comprises a relay III, which acts as a circuit closing means, and a resistance 9, which acts to prevent relay I I from operating when the control circuit is closed and as a protection for relay II. This circuit extends from the negative pole of battery I6 through resistance 9, the front contact of relay II], the upper winding of relay I I, the back contact of relay I2 to the positive pole of battery I6. Relay II], acting as the circuit closing means in the operating control circuit is assumed to operate and release very quickly thereby maintaining only a momentary closure of its front contact. The ohmic resistance of resistance 9 is very high in comparison with the ohmic resistance of the upper winding of relay I I.

An external control circuit for causing deionization of tube I and releasing relay II comprises a relay I2 and extends from ground I3, through the front contact of relay II, through relay I2 to battery I4.

When the external control circuit through the front contact of relay I is closed by the operation of relay I0, current flows through the upper winding of relay II from the positive pole of battery I6, through the back contact of relay I2, the upper winding of relay II, the front contact of relay I0, resistance 9, to the negative terminal of battery I6. Due to the short period of closure of the front contact of relay I0, relay II will not operate its armature, but the positive potential on anode of tube I will be decreased. This produces an inductive surge of potential in the lower winding of relay II which, because of the relationship of the upper and the lower windings of relay II, will be in such a direction as to increase the negative bias on the control electrode 4. Under these conditions the tube cannot ionize.

When the control circuit through the front contact of delay I0 is opened by the release of relay I0, the positive potential on the anode 5 of tube I is increased and an inductive surge of potential is generated in the opposite direction in the lower winding of relay II. This potential is of a polarity to oppose the normal negative bias on the control electrode 4 of tube I and thus reduce the potential thereon until it is substantially equal to the breakdown potential of the tube I. The tube I will therefore ionize and current will flow in the circuit from the positive pole of battery I6 through the back contact of relay I2, the upper winding of relay I I, the anode 5 and the cathode 3 of tube I, potentiometer 8 to the negative pole of battery I6. Relay II will become energized by the current in this circuit and the front contact of relay II will be closed.

Relay II will remain energized until the tube I is deionized. This deionization of tube I may be caused by opening the anode circuit. In this specific embodiment of my invention, the closure of the front contact of relay II, closes a circuit from ground I3, the front contact of relay II, relay I2 to battery I4. Relay I2 will become energized and cause its back contact to be opened 5 thereby opening the cathode-anode circuit through relay II and causing tube I to become deionized. This permits relay II to become deenergized. When relay II becomes deenergized, its contact will be opened thereby opening the 10 operating circuit for relay I2 which will become deenergized and close its back contact. Closure of the back contact of relay I2 will close the cathode-anode circuit through tube I and relay I I. Tube I will not ionize, however, because the potential on the control electrode 4 of tube I is again such as to bias control electrode 4 of tube I above the breakdown potential of tube I. When the front contact of relay II closes on the next pulse, the circuit will function again in the manner outlined above.

What is claimed is:

1. In a signaling system, a gaseous conductor tube having a control electrode, a cathode and an anode, a source of potential, a two-winding relay having one winding associated with said source of potential and the cathode-anode circuit of said tube, and the other winding associated with said source of potential and the control electrode circuit of said tube, and a circuit closing means operative upon its closure and subsequent restoration to cause said tube to ionize and operate said relay.

2. In a signaling system, a gaseous conductor tube having a control electrode, a cathode and an anode, a source of potential, a two-winding relay having a first winding connected in series with said source of potential in the cathode-anode circuit of said tube, and its second winding connected between the negative terminal of said source and the control electrode, and circuit closing means for establishing upon its closure a non-operate circuit from said source Pthrough said first winding whereby said anode is rendered less positive and said control electrode is rendered more negative thereby blocking said tube, said circuit closing means upon restoring rendering said anode more positive and said control electrode less negative whereupon said tube ionizes and causes the operation of said relay.

3. In a signaling system, a gaseous conductor tube having a control electrode, a cathode and an anode, a source of potential, a two-winding relay having a first winding connected in series with said source of potential in the cathode-anode circuit of said tube, and its second winding connected between the negative terminal of said source and the control electrode, and circuit closing means for establishing upon its closure a non-operate circuit from said source through said so first winding whereby said anode is rendered less positive and an inductive surge is established in said second winding of such polarity as to render said control electrode more negative thereby blocking said tube, said circuit closing means upon (i5v restoring rendering said anode more positive and producing an inductive surge in said second Winding of such polarity as to render said control electrode less negative whereupon said tube ionizes and causes the operation of said relay.

4. In a signaling system, a gaseous conductor tube having a control electrode, a cathode and an anode, a source of potential, a two-winding relay having one winding associated with said source of potential and the cathode-anode circuit of '15 said tube, and the other winding associated with said source of potential and the control electrode circuit of said tube, a circuit closing means operative upon its closure and subsequent restoration to cause said tube to ionize and operate said relay, and means controlled by said relay for causing the deionization of said tube and the release of said relay.

5. In a signaling system, a gaseous conductor tube having a control electrode, a cathode and an anode, a source of potential, a two-winding relay having a first winding connected in series with said source of potential in the cathode-anode circuit of said tube, and its second winding connected between the negative terminal of said source and the control electrode, circuit closing means for establishing upon its closure a nonoperate circuit from said source through said first winding whereby said anode is rendered less positive and said control electrode is rendered more negative thereby blocking said tube, said circuit closing means upon restoring rendering said anode more positive and said control electrode less negative whereupon said tube ionizes and causes the operation of said relay, and a second relay operative upon the operation of said first relay for opening the cathode-anode circuit of said tube thereby causing the deionization of said tube and the release of said relays.

OSCAR MYERS. 

